Punjena paprika is a kind of stuffed pepper dish that is popular in the Balkan area of southern Europe. The particular name punjena paprika is from the Serbo-Croatian language, literally meaning "stuffed pepper." This dish is also known by other names in other parts of the region.
Recipes for punjena paprika call for peppers stuffed with meat, usually pork or beef, as well as rice. The mix is cooked in tomato sauce. Other elements may also be added to flavor or provide texture for this dish.
Some of the other items that cooks commonly add to punjena paprika include egg. The egg can help to bind the filling. They might also add vegetables like cabbage and onions.
A variety of spices are also often used in preparing this dish. Garlic is one ingredient that some versions call for. Other spices include bay leaves, rosemary and other conventional flavorings.
Another spice that is commonly used in this dish is the spice paprika. This may be slightly confusing, since in the Serbo-Croation, paprika is simply the word for "pepper." Some who are unfamiliar with this dish will nonetheless recognize the flavor of paprika spice, as it is used as a spice worldwide. Versions of paprika such as Hungarian paprika and Spanish paprika are commonly recognized by cooks around the world.
In terms of its composition and ingredients, punjena paprika is not unlike other kinds of stuffed pepper dishes from around the world. This kind of dish is known in Spain and Latin America as chiles rellenos. In English-speaking societies, it is mostly just called stuffed peppers.
Cooks who want to make this traditional Yugoslavian dish will start by coring the peppers, emptying them of their seeds and internal membranes. When this is done, they will mix the elements for the filling. Without cooking this mix, cooks can stuff the peppers.
After the peppers are properly stuffed, cooks can set them in a pan and cover them with tomato sauce. Traditionally, the entire dish is simmered in the tomato sauce until is cooked. The result is an appealing visual presentation of a pepper infused with the red sauce, with additional sauce filling the plate or bowl that the dish is presented in.
The stuffed pepper dish is a staple, not just in Balkan societies and communities, but around the world. The unique presentation of hashed or minced food inside a pepper illustrates how certain food items can provide convenient “packages” for other foods, as well as an advanced culinary display. Ever since the beginnings of the culinary world, these types of food have been common on “feast plates,” and other more complex preparations of food.